1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an integrated CD-ROM retrieval apparatus comprising a CD-ROM drive, a color liquid crystal display, and a joypad.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have been prior art disclosures about the apparatus of the type of integrated CD-ROM (Compact-Disk-Read only Memory) retrieval apparatus using the color liquid crystal display, for example, in the Japanese Patent Laid-Open 1-204286. This type of prior art apparatus comprises a CD-ROM drive, a display using a color liquid crystal display, a ROM pack, a display directing device using a color liquid crystal display, and a speaker. A menu can be displayed on the display directing device (a color liquid crystal display for displaying the menu) by a retrieving program stored in the ROM pack. A desired menu item is to be selected to output the data in the CD-ROM disk to the color liquid crystal display or speaker.
There have also been prior art disclosures about the retrieving file apparatus, for example, in the Japanese Patent Laid-Open 6476321. This prior art apparatus comprises an optical disk device, a CRT (Cathode Ray Tube), an input keyboard, a control circuit, an image memory, a retrieving circuit, and a counter circuit. The counter circuit can count the number of times that image information is read out of an optical disk. The result is made a part of the retrieved data as an accessing frequency. This feature allows retrieval with the accessing frequency entered to increase the retrieval efficiency. The apparatus also can arrange and output the data in order of the accessing frequency when a retrieving list is created.
However, the prior art CD-ROM retrieval apparatus disclosed in the Japanese Patent Laid-Open 1-204286 needs the ROM pack containing the retrieving program corresponding to the CD-ROM disk one to one. This involves such problems as complicated operation, no provisions for use of the joypad, and use of a special menu display directing device using the color liquid crystal display.
Also, the prior art retrieving information file apparatus retrieval disclosed in the Japanese Patent Laid-Open 64-76321 involves such problems as the access information to be stored is limited to the file access information which can be used as parts of the retrieving means only.
The present invention can solve these problems.